# illus vs Heygem

The clearest difference is monetization model: Heygem at free with in-app purchases against illus's subscription. Heygem also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). illus's advantage is ratings volume (767 vs 3) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. illus sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Heygem sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for illus against 4.3 for Heygem. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: illus has 767 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

illus ships an update every 3 weeks, Heygem every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and June 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | illus | Heygem |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (767 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/illus-face-effects-editor/id1466586824/reviews)** | [4.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heygem/id6479694610/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **767** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 10.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 245 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Inmoji Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511288117) | [东升 杨](https://appshunter.io/developer/1707277272) |

## What reviewers say

### illus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/illus-face-effects-editor/id1466586824)

Transform your photos with a wide range of creative effects. Morph into animals, age yourself forwards or backward, create cartoon avatars, and try on new hairstyles. You can also animate faces, create collages, and apply artistic filters.

**Highlights:** Animal Face Morph, Time Machine (Aging Effects), Cartoon Avatar Creation, Magical Hairstyle, Face Swap & Reface, Animated 3D Effects, AI Smart Cutout

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MAKE AWESOME PHOTO | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| MAKE AWESOME PHOTO | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| MAKE AWESOME PHOTO | $18.99 | per month |
| MAKE AWESOME PHOTO | $18.99 | per month |


### Heygem

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heygem/id6479694610)

This AI-powered tool provides creative writing assistance, generating ideas and constructive answers for work, life, and creative projects. It offers personalized solutions based on user preferences and feedback, with a simple interface for quick access to inspiration and enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** AI-powered creative writing, Idea generation for work and life, Personalized solutions, Constructive answer generation, Intuitive and easy-to-use interface, Inspiration source

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 周会员 | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| 月会员 | $9.99 | per month |
| 年会员 | $24.99 | per year |
| 绘图积分1000 | $4.99 | one-time |
| 绘图积分3000 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 永久会员 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 绘图积分10000 | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is illus free?

illus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Heygem free?

Heygem is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, illus or Heygem?

illus is rated higher. illus averages 4.4 out of 5 from 767 ratings, while Heygem averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do illus or Heygem have ads?

illus shows ads; Heygem does not.

### Which is updated more often, illus or Heygem?

illus ships an update every 3 weeks, and Heygem every 4 days. Most recently, illus was updated on September 27, 2026 and Heygem on June 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*